Well cementing apparatus



April 19, 1949. F. H. LEE

l WELL CEMEN'IING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1947 M V 7 www?? Y /N VEN ro R Fen/vas HAM/70N L55 ATTORNEYS' Patented Apr. 19, V1949v WELL CEMENTING APPARATUS Francis Hampton Lee, San Pedro, Calif., assignor to Baker Oil Tools, Inc., Vernon, Calif., a corporation of California Application January 25, 1947, Serial No. 724,445

Claims. (Cl. 166-1) The present invention relates to apparatus for iioating and cementing well casings, liners and similar conduits in well bores.

One form of apparatus for floating and cementing a well casing in a well bore includes an upper float collar and a lower shoe or collar having an initially open central passage and side ports above the passage. The upper collar includes an upwardly seating valve member for preventing upward passage of fluid through the casing string, which imparts buoyancy to the latter and allows it to be floated downwardly through the well iluid to its desired position in the well bore. Thereafter, a tripping or bridging device is dropped or pumped through the well casing, by-passing around the iioat collar valve member and coming to rest in the central passage through the lower shoe, closing such passage and directing cement slurry or other fluent substances which may be pumped down the casing string outwardly through the side ports. Return ow into the casing string of the cement slurry is prevented by the upward closing of the upper collar valve member against its cooperable seat.

The present invention has for an object the provision of an improved float collar embodying a larger passage and passage closing valve member, which permits the use of a larger trip or bridging member for a lower shoe or collar capable of bypassing downwardly around the valve member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a float collar embodying a slide valve which can be by-passed by a comparatively large ball, or other trip or bridging member, lowered through the casing string, of which the lioat collar forms a vpart.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved floating and cementing apparatus adapted for use in a casing string, which has a relatively large passageway and valve member for closing the passageway against upward flow of uids.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal section through a well casing apparatus as it is run in the well bore.

As disclosed in the drawings, a float collar A- is included in an intermediate point of a casing string adapted to be positioned in a well bore and having a shoe orcollar B at its lower end provided with a central passage C and side ports D disposed above the passage.

The iioat collar A includes an outer tubular member I8 whose upper portion Illa is adapted to be threaded on to an upper casing section II, and a lower porti-on llb threaded into the upper portion and adapted to be threaded into a lower casing section I2. In effect, the collar forms part of the casing string itself by connecting the casing sections II, i2 together in spaced relation.

A body I 3 is disposed within the outer collar member It, being provided with a shoulder I4 engaging a companion shoulder I5 in the upper member portion Illa` and also having a circumferential groove I6 in which a round rubber seal ring I'I may be positioned which engages the tubular member IIl to prevent leakage of fluid between it and the body. The lower member portion 10b engages the body I3 to hold it in its upward position against the shoulder I5. The body has the cylindrical bore or passage I8 therethrough, which may be coaxial of the body or, preferably, oiset to one side of its axis, depending upon the diameter of the collar. A piston or poppet valve I9 is slidably mounted in the bore I8 and makes a snug, sealing engagement With its cylindrical wall in order that fluid may not pass downwardly between the valve member I9 and the body I3. The lower end of the Valve member is provided with a head 20 adapted to move upwardly into sealing engagement with a valve seat ZI at the lower end of the body passage I8. To insure aganst leakage between the seat 2I and head 20, a suitable seal ring 22 may be provided in the seat for engagement with the latter.

The valve member lil is guided for longitudinal slidingy movement by the body passage I8. Its rotation is prevented by a pair of laterally spaced bolts or studs 23 threaded into the lower end of the body I3 and extending through holes 24 in` opposite projections 25 extending laterally from the valve head 2l). These bolts 23 depend from the body and are each encircled by a helical spring 26 whose upper end bears against the valve projection 25 and whose lower end bears against a washer 2l resting upon the bolt head 28. Down.- ward movement of the valve member I9 is limited by engagement of the projections 25 with spacer sleeves 29 disposed around the bolts 23 and resting on the washers 21.

The upper end 30 of the slide valve I 9 is inclined in an upward and outward direction, in. the same manner as the tapered surface 3l at the upper end of the body I3, forming a guide into a passage 32 extending through the valve member. The upper portion 32a of this passage is cylindrical or circular in cross-section, and the lower portion 32h of the passage (also circular in crosssection) is disposed laterally substantially at right angles to the upper portion, with the intermediate curved connecting passage portion 32e being circular in cross-section. In effect, the passage 32 may be considered as L-shaped, being of circular cross-section of constant diameter throughout its length. This passage is designed to permit uid and devices described hereinafter to pass downwardly through the collar A upon lowering of the valve member I9 against the springs 26 to a position wherein the outlet 32h from the passage is below the lower end of the body I3. It is to be noted that the guide rods or bolts 23 prevent rotation of the valve member and maintain the passage outlet 32h facing in the opposite direction from which the body bore I8 is ofset from the axis of the tubular member Il).

In one use of the float collar apparatus A disclosed in the drawings, it is incorporated in the casing string provided with the lower shoe or collar B and the entire casing string is lowered through the fluid in the well bore, the Valve member I9 being disposed in its upward position to prevent upward passage of fluids through the casing beyond the position of the float collar. After the casing has been properly located in the well bore, fluids may be pumped down through the casing string, unseating the valve I9 and flowing through its L-shaped passage 32 down through the casing, to exhaust through the central passage C in the shoe B and also through the side ports D in the shoe.

A trip or bridging member 33, in the form of a ball, is then lowered or pumped down through the casing string. This ball has substantially the same diameter as the cross-sectional diameter of the passage 32 through the slide valve member I9, in order to snugly t the wall of the passage and make a slidable seal therewith. Upon entering the passage, the pressure of the iluid above the ball 33 forces the ball downwardly through the passage 32 until it engages the side of the body bore I8. Since the ball makes a snug t in the passage, fluids cannot by-pass it. The fluid under pressure above the slide valve I9, therefore, forces the latter downwardly against the action of its springs 26 until the outlet 32h is completely disposed below the lower end of the body I3, whereupon the ball 33 may be pumped out of the passage 32 and be permitted to drop down through the casing string into engagement with a valve seat 34 at the upper end of the central passage C through the shoe B, thereby closing such passage C. Fluent substances, such as cement slurry, pumped down through the casing string, now pass through the collar A and are directed entirely outwardly through the side ports D for upward passage through the annulus around the casing string. After the desired quantity of cement slurry has been thus placed behind the casing, the pump pressure is relieved and the slide valve head 20 reengages its seat 2| to dispose the passage outlet 32h entirely within the body bore I8, preventing return ilow of the cement slurry through the ports D into the casing string.

While the bore I8 through the body I3 and the location of the valve member I9 are disclosed in the drawing as offset to the axis of the collar A, they could be disposed coaxially of theV collar in the larger sizes. The offset arrangement is employed in the smaller collar sizes to enable a large bore I8 and valve member I9 to be used and a comparatively large L-shaped passage 32 through valve member itself to be employed, in order that a larger trip ball 33 may be pumped through the iloat collar A and be discharged from the outlet 32h of the L-shaped passage to a position of freedom from the valve I9, where it can drop downwardly to the central passage C in the lower shoe B.

The bore and valve arrangement I8, I9, coupled with the slidable t of the ball 33 in the poppet valve passage 32, permits larger tripping balls to be used in conjunction with slide valves than could otherwise be employed, and enables a large passage 32 to be used in the float collar through which a large flow volume can be displaced in a given time. It also permits the use of a larger axial passage C through the lower shoe B, which is desirable during the washing operation performed in the well bore. use of such large passage C, the ball 33 has sufllcient size to completely close it and direct al1 of the cement slurry outwardly through the side ports D.

While I have shown a preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Apparatus of the character described, including a tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having a bore therethrough, a valve member slidable in said bore and provided with a passage having an upper inlet and a lower outlet, said valve member being movable between a lower position in which said outlet opens below said body and an upper position in which said outlet is closed within said body bore, and means movable downwardly through said passage in sealing engagement therewith for enabling said valve member to be shifted hydraulically down wardly to open position and said means to be discharged from said outlet.

2. Apparatus of the character described, including a tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having a longitudinal bore therethrough, a valve member slidable in said bore and provided with a generally L-shaped passage having an upper inlet and a lower outlet, said valve member having a head engageable with said body when said outlet is disposed within said bore to close said passage, and means movable downwardly through said passage in sealing engagement therewith for enabling said valve member to be shifted hydraulically downwardly to dispose its outlet below said body, whereby said means is dischargeable hydraulically from said outlet.

3. Apparatus of the character described, including a tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having a longitudinal bore therethrough, a valve member slidable in said bore and provided with a passage having an upper inlet and a lower lateral outlet, said passage being of circular cross-section of constant diameter throughout its length, said valve member being movable between a lower position in-'whicn Despite the.

said outlet opens below said body and an upper position in which said outlet is closed within said body bore, and means having substantially the same diameter as said passage cross-section movable downwardly through said passage for enabling said valve member to be shifted hydraulically downwardly to open position and said means to be discharged hydraulically from said outlet.

4. Apparatus of the character described, including a tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having `a longitudinal bore therethrough a valve member slidable in said bore and provided with a generally L-shaped passage having an upper inlet and a lower outlet, said passage being of circular cross-section of constant diameter throughout its length, said valve member having a head engageable with said body when said outlet is disposed within said bore to close said passage, and a ball having substantially the same diameter as said passage cross-section, said ball being movable downwardly through said passage for enabling said valve member to be shifted hydraulically downwardly to dispose its outlet below said body and to permit said ball to be discharged hydraulically from said outlet in a lateral direction.

5. Apparatus as dened in claim 4, wherein the axis of said longitudinal bore is offset substantially to the axis of said tubular member.

6. Apparatus of the character described, including a tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having a longitudinal bore therethrough whose axis is offset substantially to the axis of said tubular member, a valve member slidable in said bore and provided with a generally l.shaped passage having an upper inlet and a lower lateral outlet facing in the opposite direction from the direction in which said bore is offset with respect to the tubular member axis, means movable downwardly through said passage in sealing engagement therewith for enabling said valve member to be shifted hydraulically downwardly to dispose its outlet below said body, whereby said means is dischargeable hydraulically from said outlet, and means for preventing substantial rotation of said valve member in said bore during its slidable movement therewithin.

7. Apparatus of the character described, including a tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having a longitudinal bore therethrough whose axis is offset substantially to the axis of said tubular member, a valve member slidable in said bore and provided with a passage having an upper inlet and a lower lateral outlet facing in the opposite direction from the direction in which said bore is offset with respect to the tubular member axis, and means for preventing substantial rotation of said valve member in said bore during its slidable movement therewithin.

8. Apparatus of the character described, including a tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having a longitudinal bore therethrough whose axis is offset substantially to the axis of said tubular member, a. valve member slidable in said bore and having an upper inlet and a lower lateral outlet facing in the opposite direction from the direction in which said bore is oset with respect to the tubular member axis, said valve member having a head engageable with said body when said outlet is disposed within said bore to close said passage, means for preventing substantial rotation oi said valve member in said bore during its slidable movement therewithin, and spring means urging said valve member upwardly to engage said head with said body.

9. Apparatus of the character described, including a tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having a longitudinal bore therethrough whose axis is offset substantially to the axis of said tubular member, a valve member slidable in said bore and provided with a generally L-shaped passage having an upper inlet and a lower lateral outlet facing in the opposite direction from the direction in which said bore is offset with respect to the tubular member axis, a ball movable downwardly through said passage in sealing engagement therewith for enabling said valve member to be shifted hydraulically downwardly to dispose its outlet below said body, whereby said ball is dischargeable hydraulically from said outlet, means for preventing substantial rotation of said valve member in said bore during slidable movement therewithin, and spring means urging said valve member upwardly to dispose its outlet in closed position within said bore.

10. Apparatus of thev character described, including a. tubular member adapted to form part of a well casing string, a body secured within said member and having a longitudinal bore therethrough whose axis is offset substantially to the axis of said tubular member, a Valve member slidable in said bore and provided with a generally L-shaped passage having an upper inlet and a lower lateral outlet facing in the opposite direction from the direction in which said bore is offset with respect to the tubular member axis, said passage being of circular cross-section of constant diameter throughout its length, a ball having substantially the same diameter as said passage cross-section movable downwardly through said passage for enabling said valve member to be shifted hydraulically downwardly to dispose its outlet below said body, whereby said ball is dischargeable hydraulically from said outlet, spaced guide members depending from said body for preventing substantial rotation of said valve member in said bore during its slidable movement therewithin, and a spring around each guide member engaging said valve member for urging it upwardly to dispose its outlet in closed position within said bore.

FRANCIS HAMPTON LEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,681,502 Sheldon Aug. 21, 1928 1,871,536 Le Bus Aug. 16, 1932 2,206,356 Hutchings July 2, 1940 2,212,087 Thornhill Aug. 20, 1940 

